Two Treatises, Treatise 1 · Reason 2
Reaſon 2.
This is the choiceſt of thy time, therefore fitteſt for ſuch deſignation, moſt agreeable to the great work of the Lord; which will appear if you conſider theſe following particulars.
Firſt, Thy affections are ripe and flouriſhing; and if thou doſt now give up thy ſelf to the work of the Lord, thou mayeſt in all probability bee ſerviceable to him; but in thine old age, all thy affections wil be weakned; eſpecially thoſe which ſhould moſt of all render thee ſerviceable to God.
2 Thy Affection of Love, and Joy, and Zeal, Deſire and Hope, which do moſt of all quicken ſouls, and honour the work of God in their hands, theſe will be all fallen, and there will be nothing left but weakneſs, and faintneſs, and fear, and paſſion, and peeviſhneſs; and how will theſe things honor the Lord? O it is very neceſſary that wee ſhould have an eye to our Affections in the great work of God; for if theſe bee loſt, the glory of the work falls to the ground; for the affections are the very hands that lay hold on Chriſt, and the feet that run after him, and the inſtruments with which we work for him; loſe not this time if ever thou wouldeſt take a time wherein God may be glorified by thee.
Secondly, Now all thy ſenſes are freſheſt and quick, and thy ſoul moſt active, and thou art beſt able to taſte of that ſweetneſs which is in the ways of the Lord; and although the ſweetneſs of the ways of God do not conſiſt in ſatisfying the ſenſes external, neither is godlineſs (as the Familiſt makes it) a ſenſual life, yet when the body is decayed, and the ſoul weakned, as to all its exerciſes, the ſoul is not deprived onelyonly of the reliſh which it had of carnal things, but even of ſpiritual ones alſo; the reaſon why we ſhall enjoy ſo much more of God in Heaven then we do, or can do here, is, becauſe our bodies ſhal be fitted to our ſouls; we ſhal have none of the incumbrances of fleſh, and weakneſs, and indiſpoſition through ſickneſs and old age, which now do hinder us; and therefore it muſt needs follow, that the better the ſoul is Organized and fitted for action, through the ſtrength and vigour of all the faculties, the more capable it is of communion with God, and of taſting the ſweetneſs that is in his wayes. Bring a man that is ſick and weak never ſuch precious and pleaſing meat and drink, he affects them not, becauſe his palate is weak, and he cannot taſte the ſweetneſs that is in them. Old Age is the ſickneſs of Nature; then ſhe begins to be feeble, and it cannot be expected that the ſoul can act at the ſame rate either in Naturals, or Spirituals, which it did when it was in the middeſt of its ſtrength; A man cannot do ſo much work when his aſſiſtants and ſervants are all gone from him, as he could when he had them all at command; the ſoul wants many of her attendants, they are dead, or drouſie, and very uſeleſſe; every member of the body, and every faculty of the ſoul is very weak and lame, and there is little expected from them. If ever thou wouldeſt highly put a difference between the ways of God, and the ways of ſin, and thou wouldeſt reliſh the ſweetneſs that is in following the Lord Jeſus, make tryal in thy youth, whilſt thou art in the prime of thy ſtrength; for the breaſts of his conſolation are ful, and require much ſtrength to draw them, they are of ſo pure and ſpiritual a nature. If thy ſenſes were ſo quick and comprehenſive as Adams were in innocency, yet there is more then enough in the Lord Jeſus, and in his ways to exerciſe them, and to ſatisfie them; David ſpeaks largely of his experience in this thing, Pſ. 19. They were ſweeter then the honey, and the honey-comb. And in Pſalm one hundred and nineteen, he commends them beyond all other good things, and ſpeaks elſewhere of this; he ſets out the fulneſs and variety of ſweetneſs which the ways of God afford by this expreſſion, Rivers of pleaſure. Pſalm 36.8. They ſhall be abundantly ſatisfied with the fatneſſe of thy houſe, and thou ſhalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleaſures. We may have another much like to this, Pſalm 16.11. In thy preſence is fulneſſe of joy, at thy right hand there are pleaſures for evermore. O what a great miſtake is there amongſt many, who refuſe to give their youth to the Lord, becauſe they cannot ſpare that from their pleaſures; they think that the devoting that unto the Lord would be the ſpoil of it; let not Saten delude any of your poor ſouls thus any more; there are pleaſures at Gods right hand, and rivers of pleaſure for Souls to drink of who follow Jeſus Chriſt, when the ſummer brooks which Satan leads you to will all be dried up. Le thim not draw you off from God, with a pretence that there is no pleaſure to be had in him; but whenever he draws you after pleaſures, tell him how that you have heard, That the w…y of God are ſweet, and that you will make tryal of them, whether they are ſo or not, whilſt you are in the midſt of your ſtrength, and beſt able to diſtinguiſh betwixt ſweet and bitter, good and evil; and when thou haſt gotten but a taſte of the ſweetneſſe of the ways of God, thou wilt have an anſwer at hand for him; when he comes and tells thee, Thy youth is fitteſt for pleaſure, tell him then it is fitteſt for God at whoſe right hand are pleaſures everlaſting, which thon wilt never more exchange for his deceivable luſts.
Thirdly, Now thou haſt an opportunity to deny thy ſelf for Jeſus Chriſt, and to commend the ways of God unto the world, and to ſet a high price upon them for the enjoyment of Chriſt in them, when thou doſt deny the vain pleaſures of ſin when thou mayeſt enjoy them; what a low value doſt thou ſet upon Jeſus Chriſt, and the ways of the Lord, when thou wilt follow him at no other time, but in that which in thy own judgement is fit for nothing elſe, although in truth it is moſt unfit for that? This cannot bean act of ſelfdenial, when we wil never come to God til we have nothing to deny, or part withal for him; thou canſt not then ſay that thou forſakeſt any thing of the world to come unto Chriſt, when it hath already forſaken thee; what pleaſure wilt thou deny to follow God in thy old age, in that day when thou ſhalt ſay, I have no pleaſure in it? here wil be no room left for ſelf denial in many things, but now it lies in the way evidently to make out thy ſelf-denial; for now whilſt thou art in the ſtrength of thy dayes, and many temptations to enjoy the world, and many ways to enjoy it alſo; now to renounce all, and come into Chriſt, will be an eminent act of ſelf-deniall; all men will ſay, loe here is one who hath left all to follow the Lord; and wil not this beget an high eſteem in men of the ways of God, when they ſhall fee thee prizing it above all profits, and pleaſures, and preferments, and Friends, and Companions? when they ſee thee caſting theſe under foot, when they are to be enjoyed; will they not ſay, Surely there is much ſweetneſs in the ways of God, that this man denies himſelf in all theſe things to follow them; If ever thou wouldeſt honour the ways of God, and ſet them up high in the hearts of men, and be eminent in this act of ſelf-denial, loſe not thy youthful days, but begin to follow the Lord Jeſus whilſt the world and the pleaſure of it are following thee; ſo ſhalt thou be a true Diſciple of the Lord Jeſus.
Fourthly, The work is great which thou art called to, and therefore fitteſt for thy youth; we know that we uſe to ſingle out the morning for the choiceſt employment, which requires greatneſs of ſtrength, and parts; and truly the work of the Lord is in this ſenſe a morning work; for it will call for the vigor and ſtrength of thy affections; Strive to enter in at the ſtrait gate, Luk. 13.24. Philip. 3.14. I preſs toward the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Chriſt Jeſus. Men do wonderfully miſtake the ways of the Lord, when they think that the ſleeping doating age is good enough for him; truly this is according to thoſe conceits and fancies which they have of the worſhip of God; and their thoughts are ſo low, becauſe they are ſo much ſtrangers to it; but if ſuch ſouls were ſet truly about the work, they would find it ſo much above the ſtrength they have (when ſtrongeſt) that they would eaſily be convinced of the vanity of making delays, and putting it off til a time when they muſt expect leſs. Oh what folly is there in mens hearts! and how little reaſon wil thoſe delayers have to ſtand by them at the laſt day? when they delay the workbecauſe it ſeems hard and difficult, and yet they put it off to a time wherein it muſt needs be much harder then now it is. Friends, take heed of this folly, it is too common amongſt us: It is againſt reaſon and againſt our practice in all other things, and if the devil had not a great power over men this deceit of the heart would be diſcerned; we ſee men will not do ſo in other things; they will ſtudy the ſeaſon proper to every work but this of their ſouls; the Husbandman will not put off his Summer work till Winter, nor his Winter work til Summer; he wil chuſe to do the work that is moſt painfull and laborious before the heat of the day if a man walk by the Sea wal & find a ſmal breach that is made in upon the Land, he will not paſſe it by, and ſay let it alone until the next week or year; for ſays he, it will grow much bigger by that time; he will not make delays when he is ſure that delays will make more work; let us but ſtudy the ſeaſons for our ſouls as they do; let us do every thing to the beſt advantage; the work is great, begin when thou wilt; but the longer it be before thou begin it, the more difficult thou wilt finde it, and the leſſe ſtrength thou wilt have to go through with it; therefore begin in thy youth.
Fifthly, It is a long work, and therefore calls for the morning of thy Age; he that would run this race ſhould ſet out early. We know if a man have a long Journey to go, or a Race to run upon ſome forfeiture, he will covet for as much of the day as it is poſſible for him to enjoy, he will ſet out very early by the firſt appearance of day; if we did but know what it is to be a Chriſtian, we ſhould not think our day too long to ſpare any of it from our work, eſpecially of our choyceſt hours.
Three things makes this work long.
1 Want of knowledge, we have many things to ſeek after.
2 Want of experience in thoſe things which we have in notion.
3 Much imployment.
Firſt in regard of knowledge, we ſhould begin betimes; how many things are we ignorant of? the Goſpel is ful of Myſteries, & the Worſhip of God is a Myſtery, and we know but in part when we know moſt, and yet may always know more then we do; If we conſider our Naturall eſtate, we are ignorant of every truth of God as it is in Jeſus; we know nothing aright, 1 Cor 2.14. The naturall man cannot perceive the things of God; therefore ſeeing there is no true knowledge of God, and of Spiritual things, till we ſet our faces and hearts Heaven-wards, we had need begin betimes. If we look to our afterknowledge, which is a fruit of converſion, it is ſo weak and imperfect, and there is ſo much ignorance in ſo many of the things of God, that then we ſhould ſay, O that we had begun ſooner with God! then might we have been teachers of others, whereas now we have need to be taught the very principles of Chriſt; if we begin at the firſt hour of the day, yet we ſhall find the work ſo long in this regard, that when the night comes we ſhall acknowledge that the day hath not been large enough; or we have not been active enough to be acquainted with every Myſtery of the Lord, and we muſt leave ſome things to learn when we come to Heaven.
Secondly, In reſpect of Experience; how many things are there which we get in notion, which we are content withal, and ſeek not for the experience of it? this requires much time to ſeek after the experience and power, and conformity to thoſe truths of which we are convicted in our judgements; thou maiſt learn many things in a Notional way in a ſhort time; but experience of all theſe things is not ſo ſoon obtained. The Phyſitian reads many things, and they ſeem rational to him; but this ſeems not enough to him until he gets ſome experience of theſe things, til he hath made trial of them; it wil require much time for thee to put every truth ſo to the touchſtone as to be able to ſpeak to it from thine own experimental Knowledg; and this will adviſe thee to begin betimes with the Lord.
Thirdly, In regard of imployment; O when thou comeſt into Chriſt, thou wilt find abundance of work to do, too much for the little time that is allotted thee; if thou lookeſt upon thoſe without, to labour to bring them in to Chriſt, thy bowels wil ſound toward them, and thou wil ſay in thy heart, O that I had come in ſooner, that I might have pittied thoſe poor ſouls ſooner; in regard of thoſe who are within, there are ſome weak, and they call for thee, When thou art converted, then ſtrengthen thy brethren; ſome are doubting, and call for thee to comfort them; ſome are fallen, and cal for thee to reſtore them; yea the ſtrong as well as the weak have need of thee; O there is work enough for thee to do amongſt the Saints, if there were none in the world, if thou hadſt Methuſalem's Age to ſpend. And ſeeing Jeſus Chriſt hath ſo much work for poor Souls to do, is it not pitty that thou ſhouldeſt defer thy coming, when the Maſter hath need of thee! O that we did but love our work as wel as that precious Servant of Chriſt did, who wept when he was to dye, becauſe he ſhould go where he ſhould do no more work, but ſhould only receive his wages! if he mourned that he was to leave working ſo ſoon, we ſhould much more lament that we began ſo late.